Lift trucks, also known as forklifts, are commonly used in warehousing, storage, and similar applications to transport packaged materials between locations, and to raise and stack packaged materials for storage. To facilitate transporting and lifting the materials, such materials are typically packaged and disposed on top of a pallet. Commonly used pallets are constructed from wood and have a bottom deck and a top deck coupled to a plurality of parallel stringers disposed therebetween, with openings provided between the stringers. A pallet can have a pair of stringers disposed at the edges of the pallet, and a third stringer disposed substantially halfway between the pair of stringers. Forklifts have a pair of movable L-shaped members, or forks, that are inserted into the openings. Once the forks are disposed within the openings, the forklift can lift and transport the pallet.
During operations, forklifts can impact the pallet with the vertical portions of the forks. The force of these impacts is applied to the top deck of the pallet and to the goods disposed on top of the pallet and that may be overhanging the pallet. Consequently, individuals and businesses suffer significant losses due to product damage, pallet damage, as well as due to the labor involved in replacing pallets and products and restacking products on undamaged pallets.